Author photo: title page of Meredith's 'Clytemnestra and Other Poems'.
Owen Meredith's Clytemnestra and other Poems is a volume of Victorian poetry published in London by Chapman and Hall in 1855. “Owen Meredith” was a pseudonym used by Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton (1831-1891), who, as well as being a poet, also served as the first earl of Lytton and as a viceroy of India.
Biography
Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton was born in London on 8 November 1831 to Edward and Rosina Bulwer-Lytton, both of whom were novelists (Washbrook par. 1). Their interest in writing likely influenced their son, who began composing poetry early in life, although none of it was published until 1855. Lytton was educated privately, followed by enrolment in Harrow School in London, followed by an education in modern languages at the University of Bonn in Germany (par. 1).
In 1849, at age 18, Lytton took up work as a secretary to his uncle, a diplomatic ambassador in Washington, DC (par. 3). Over the next 25 years, he continued his diplomatic career in various positions across Europe. During this time, he published several books of poetry, the first being Clytemnestra and Other Poems, which he published under the name “Owen Meredith” in 1855 (par. 1). This was followed in 1857 by The Wanderer, a book of lyric poetry published under the same name (par. 1). Although Lytton's poems were criticized for their similarity in form to the poetry of Robert Browning, they were generally popular, and were praised for their “poetic diction, vivid description and strokes of imagination” (par. 1).
Following these works, Lytton published Lucile, a novel written in verse, in 1860; and Tannhauser in 1861, which he co-authored with his friend Julian Fane (par. 3). Serbski pesme, a volume of poetry based on Serbian national songs, was also published in 1861. These works were quite experimental: Lytton was attempting to reproduce continental styles in English (par. 3). Unfortunately, they were poorly reviewed. Although Lucile was read widely, critics were "dubious about the form" (Harlan 135), and Lytton himelf later came to regard the work as "trashy" (143). Tannhauser largely seen as unoriginal and imitative of Tennyson (Washbrook par. 3), and Serbski pesme was denounced as "[ignorant] of the Serbian tongue" (Harlan 153).
On 12 April 1876, Lytton's political career culminated in his appointment as viceroy of India. This appointment was largely unexpected, as the viceroyalty was usually given to politicians, not "men of letters" (Washbrook par. 6) such as Lytton. He resigned from the viceroyalty in 1880, and was created Earl of Lytton on 28 April of the same year (par. 16). His resignation was followed by several years spent out of the public eye, during which he focused on his writing (par. 16). These quiet years produced several works, including two more books of poetry: Glenaveril, a six-book-long narrative poem published in 1885, and After Paradise, a collection of poetry published in 1887. Glenaveril enjoyed a mediocre reception, with one critic deeming it a "splendid failure" (Harlan 238), but After Paradise was released to critical acclaim (Washbrook par. 16).
In 1887, Lytton was appointed lord rector of Glasgow University (par. 16), followed shortly after by a return to his diplomatic career with his appointment as ambassador to France (Harlan 243). During this time, he composed his final works. The Ring of Amasis was published in 1890 to lackluster reviews (Washbrook par. 17), while Marah and King Poppy were received as two of his “most distinguished efforts” (par. 17). Unfortunately, Lytton did not live to hear this praise. These latter two works, published in 1891 and 1892 respectively, were published posthumously: Lytton died suddenly in Paris on 24 November 1891 (par. 17).
Clytemnestra and Other Poems
Clytemnestra is a duodecimo book bound in a navy blue hardcover with gold lettering on the spine. It contains 352 pages and no illustrations.
The book contains no table of contents, no preface, and no introduction. A brief list of errata follows the title page; this is followed by an advertisement for volumes of poetry by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning, and the book's body matter begins directly after with the poem "Clytemnestra," the first of the book's six "Major Poems." Forty-four "Minor Poems" follow after, and the book ends with these. There is no back matter.
The first of the Major Poems, “Clytemnestra,” is a drama with nine roles and nineteen scenes. It follows the story of the titular Clytemnestra, the queen of ancient Greek myth who murdered her husband, Agamemnon, to pursue an affair with his cousin, Aegisthus. The poem is written in conventional blank verse.
The second Major Poem, “Good-night in the Porch,” contains sixty-two stanzas. Each stanza contains three lines of iambic octameter; the first two lines rhyme, but the last does not. This poem is pastoral. It begins with nostalgic imagery of an evening in the countryside, followed by stanzas about love for an unnamed woman, and concludes with the speaker's dwelling on the love of God.
The third Major Poem, “The Earl's Return,” is a narrative poem containing seventy-four stanzas that share no consistent metre nor rhyme scheme. The poem is set in a medieval world of squires and knights, and tells the story of a beautiful woman and the grim Earl who causes her death.
The fourth Major Poem, “A Soul's Loss,” contains thirty stanzas. Each stanza contains six lines of seven syllables each, following the rhyming pattern ABABAB. The poem talks about the speaker's love for an unnamed woman.
The fifth Major Poem, “The Artist,” contains fifty-one stanzas. Each stanza contains four lines of iambic tetrameter, following the rhyming pattern ABAB. The poem is a pastoral meditation on the presence of God and his wisdom and beauty in nature and in commonplace things; God is portrayed as the titular Artist.
The sixth and final Major Poem, “The Wife's Tragedy,” contains sixty-three stanzas divided into three parts: “The Evening Before the Flight,” “The Portrait,” and “The Last Interview.” The first part portrays a young mother who abandons her husband an child; the second part portrays her husband looking at a portrait of her; the third part portrays her on her deathbed, preparing to join her husband in death. Each stanza contains four lines of seven syllables each, following the rhyming pattern ABAB.
The Minor Poems begin on page 245, and they vary in length, style, and content. Some, like “The Parting of Lancelot and Guenevere,” are long narratives; some, like “Appearances,” are short lyrics. This breadth of style and content reflects the varied interests of the Victorian poet, who considered himself a "heir of all the ages" (Harlan 68). Generally, however, the common themes in these poems (and, indeed, in much of Lytton's poetry) are love, the pastoral beauty of nature, and the importance of God.
Works Cited
Harlan, Aurelia Brooks. Owen Meredith. New York: Columbia University Press, 1946. Print.
Meredith, Owen. Clytemnestra and Other Poems. London: Chapman and Hall, 1855. Print.
Washbrook, David. “Lytton, Edward Robert Bulwer-, first earl of Lytton (1831–1891).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: __OUP, 2004. Online ed. Ed. Lawrence Goldman. Jan. 2008. 19 April 2016.
Owen Meredith's Clytemnestra and other Poems is a volume of Victorian poetry published in London by Chapman and Hall in 1855. “Owen Meredith” was a pseudonym used by Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton (1831-1891), who, as well as being a poet, also served as the first earl of Lytton and as a viceroy of India.
Biography
Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton was born in London on 8 November 1831 to Edward and Rosina Bulwer-Lytton, both of whom were novelists (Washbrook par. 1). Their interest in writing likely influenced their son, who began composing poetry early in life, although none of it was published until 1855. Lytton was educated privately, followed by enrolment in Harrow School in London, followed by an education in modern languages at the University of Bonn in Germany (par. 1).
In 1849, at age 18, Lytton took up work as a secretary to his uncle, a diplomatic ambassador in Washington, DC (par. 3). Over the next 25 years, he continued his diplomatic career in various positions across Europe. During this time, he published several books of poetry, the first being Clytemnestra and Other Poems, which he published under the name “Owen Meredith” in 1855 (par. 1). This was followed in 1857 by The Wanderer, a book of lyric poetry published under the same name (par. 1). Although Lytton's poems were criticized for their similarity in form to the poetry of Robert Browning, they were generally popular, and were praised for their “poetic diction, vivid description and strokes of imagination” (par. 1).
Following these works, Lytton published Lucile, a novel written in verse, in 1860; and Tannhauser in 1861, which he co-authored with his friend Julian Fane (par. 3). Serbski pesme, a volume of poetry based on Serbian national songs, was also published in 1861. These works were quite experimental: Lytton was attempting to reproduce continental styles in English (par. 3). Unfortunately, they were poorly reviewed. Although Lucile was read widely, critics were "dubious about the form" (Harlan 135), and Lytton himelf later came to regard the work as "trashy" (143). Tannhauser largely seen as unoriginal and imitative of Tennyson (Washbrook par. 3), and Serbski pesme was denounced as "[ignorant] of the Serbian tongue" (Harlan 153).
On 12 April 1876, Lytton's political career culminated in his appointment as viceroy of India. This appointment was largely unexpected, as the viceroyalty was usually given to politicians, not "men of letters" (Washbrook par. 6) such as Lytton. He resigned from the viceroyalty in 1880, and was created Earl of Lytton on 28 April of the same year (par. 16). His resignation was followed by several years spent out of the public eye, during which he focused on his writing (par. 16). These quiet years produced several works, including two more books of poetry: Glenaveril, a six-book-long narrative poem published in 1885, and After Paradise, a collection of poetry published in 1887. Glenaveril enjoyed a mediocre reception, with one critic deeming it a "splendid failure" (Harlan 238), but After Paradise was released to critical acclaim (Washbrook par. 16).
In 1887, Lytton was appointed lord rector of Glasgow University (par. 16), followed shortly after by a return to his diplomatic career with his appointment as ambassador to France (Harlan 243). During this time, he composed his final works. The Ring of Amasis was published in 1890 to lackluster reviews (Washbrook par. 17), while Marah and King Poppy were received as two of his “most distinguished efforts” (par. 17). Unfortunately, Lytton did not live to hear this praise. These latter two works, published in 1891 and 1892 respectively, were published posthumously: Lytton died suddenly in Paris on 24 November 1891 (par. 17).
Clytemnestra and Other Poems
Clytemnestra is a duodecimo book bound in a navy blue hardcover with gold lettering on the spine. It contains 352 pages and no illustrations.
The book contains no table of contents, no preface, and no introduction. A brief list of errata follows the title page; this is followed by an advertisement for volumes of poetry by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning, and the book's body matter begins directly after with the poem "Clytemnestra," the first of the book's six "Major Poems." Forty-four "Minor Poems" follow after, and the book ends with these. There is no back matter.
The first of the Major Poems, “Clytemnestra,” is a drama with nine roles and nineteen scenes. It follows the story of the titular Clytemnestra, the queen of ancient Greek myth who murdered her husband, Agamemnon, to pursue an affair with his cousin, Aegisthus. The poem is written in conventional blank verse.
The second Major Poem, “Good-night in the Porch,” contains sixty-two stanzas. Each stanza contains three lines of iambic octameter; the first two lines rhyme, but the last does not. This poem is pastoral. It begins with nostalgic imagery of an evening in the countryside, followed by stanzas about love for an unnamed woman, and concludes with the speaker's dwelling on the love of God.
The third Major Poem, “The Earl's Return,” is a narrative poem containing seventy-four stanzas that share no consistent metre nor rhyme scheme. The poem is set in a medieval world of squires and knights, and tells the story of a beautiful woman and the grim Earl who causes her death.
The fourth Major Poem, “A Soul's Loss,” contains thirty stanzas. Each stanza contains six lines of seven syllables each, following the rhyming pattern ABABAB. The poem talks about the speaker's love for an unnamed woman.
The fifth Major Poem, “The Artist,” contains fifty-one stanzas. Each stanza contains four lines of iambic tetrameter, following the rhyming pattern ABAB. The poem is a pastoral meditation on the presence of God and his wisdom and beauty in nature and in commonplace things; God is portrayed as the titular Artist.
The sixth and final Major Poem, “The Wife's Tragedy,” contains sixty-three stanzas divided into three parts: “The Evening Before the Flight,” “The Portrait,” and “The Last Interview.” The first part portrays a young mother who abandons her husband an child; the second part portrays her husband looking at a portrait of her; the third part portrays her on her deathbed, preparing to join her husband in death. Each stanza contains four lines of seven syllables each, following the rhyming pattern ABAB.
The Minor Poems begin on page 245, and they vary in length, style, and content. Some, like “The Parting of Lancelot and Guenevere,” are long narratives; some, like “Appearances,” are short lyrics. This breadth of style and content reflects the varied interests of the Victorian poet, who considered himself a "heir of all the ages" (Harlan 68). Generally, however, the common themes in these poems (and, indeed, in much of Lytton's poetry) are love, the pastoral beauty of nature, and the importance of God.
Works Cited
Harlan, Aurelia Brooks. Owen Meredith. New York: Columbia University Press, 1946. Print.
Meredith, Owen. Clytemnestra and Other Poems. London: Chapman and Hall, 1855. Print.
Washbrook, David. “Lytton, Edward Robert Bulwer-, first earl of Lytton (1831–1891).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford:
__OUP, 2004. Online ed. Ed. Lawrence Goldman. Jan. 2008. 19 April 2016.